Preventive Medicine Overview

A preventive medicine specialist focuses on the health of individuals and defined populations to protect, promote, and maintain health and well-being as well as to prevent disease, disability, and premature death. A preventive medicine physician may be a specialist in general preventive medicine, public health, occupational medicine, or aerospace medicine.1

1 The American Board of Medical Specialties. Guide to Physician Specialties. Evanston, IL: American Board of Medical Specialties; February 2008.